Proposed Fix for School Finance System

AUSTIN (Austin American-Statesman) – Multiple Texas senators have banded together to propose a potential solution to the challenges created by Texas’ school finance system.

They are asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment authorizing a statewide property tax that would replace much of the local school property tax.

State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, said a statewide property tax would not add to taxpayers’ total burden, but it would provide for an equitable and efficient public education system, as required by the state constitution.

Texas public schools are paid for through a mix of state and local tax dollars that total almost $49 billion a year, according to the Texas Education Agency. Some have deemed the system broken in cases where per-student funding varies drastically within counties. For example, the per-student funding in Williamson County ranges from $4,600 in the Granger district to almost $6,300 in the nearby Jarrell district.